Some of the things we thought would work well actually did… and others we learned on the way. Here are a few thoughts we'd like to remember next time around. If any are useful to you, bravo! There's some wisdom well won.

• Nail scissors Useful for trimming all kinds of things besides your nails…
• Flip-top toothpaste Small plastic jar fits neatly into most travel kits, no spill, no mess.
• Leg-zip poly hiking pants Wash quickly, dry quickly, work as swim trunks, good for cool or hot weather… best buy all round.
• Hand towel Works as a bath towel, packs light and small, and dries more quickly.
• Yoga mat Yeah, well if I hadn't had it, I wouldn't have had a 30-day yoga retreat this trip. Feeling great.
• BIC lighter(s) Local lighters suck. Incense or other combustibles. We did not buy other combustibles, but you might.
• Pack umbrella When the monsoon hits, it is vital. Sturdy is better.
• Useful Bags Bags are light, and a few different sizes to carry food or keep dirty-clothes are great.
• Nylon/poly rope A few yards to use a clothesline in those frequent places without one.
• Duffel bag Max is carry-on size (or tied-down to same). Folded in you backpack, use it to bring purchases home.
• Qt. Nalgene Nice to be able to carry/mix drinks, like Vita-C drinks, etc.
• Expandable Backpack Great to allow the backpack to grow as your belongings grow — or shrink when you swap stuff out to a duffel for travel home. If you can hide the shoulder straps, it makes it easier to get into (and out of) public bus luggage racks.
• Skin Cream/Lotion or Stick Think sun protection, and skin repair… small bottle goes a long way. I've wanted sunblock a lot — it comes in a convenient stick applicator these days, too — and had to buy a cheaper brand for more money. Skin lotion I have wanted to use a few times, but didn't buy any…
• Lip Balm Great for the same reason, and I did bring that, gratefully.
• Antifungal If you are susceptible… heat+sweat+reduced hygiene can bring a rash, and untreated those can get aggressive in the tropics. Better safe than walking funny (which is not at all funny).
• Disposable Razor Two per month, depending on orneriness of your body hair…
• Kleenex Pocket Packs I haven't used mine, but could have a few times, when the Hand Method could have been supplemented by the Tissue Method. Some people suggest antiseptic Wipes as a better solution… but they are wet and heavy.
• Bandana For light head cover, cleaning up, etc. Could take the place of a washcloth.
• Pack umbrella If it is cool at home or on the airplane, a fleece has real value. Had we stopped in the mountains, I would have used it. Fleece can double as a pillow, too — useful and comfy, when wrapped in a cotton shirt or sari
• Account numbers You can scramble them with a code… but have them along, so you can easily gain access to your accounts when you need to over the internet.
• Small day-bag I had a sailor-duffle style bag, with a drawstring that cinches down, and a shoulder strap which pulls the opening together. Very handy, and I felt safer with it than with a plain bag — nothing a razor wouldn't get into, of course, but it easily and comfortably slung under the arm and forward for good control.
• Spiral notebook 5×8" is a good size, fits in a day bag easily, and a pen clips into the spiral for convenience. Names and addresses, notes… all want a good, collected place in which to follow you home.
• Personal/Business Cards A friends gave me cards from the Odonata community — terribly handy, what? It made it easy to leave and take contact information.
• USB cruzer This new USB technology allows you to load all of your favorite programs onto a handy memory stick. The size of a baby's finger, these things give you 2Gb of memory — enough for all your work and to contain a huge number of pictures, which you can download from your camera and carry home with you (what I will do, when I leave my camera with Manny). I run a browser and email clients from this stick — meaning my personal information is never written to the local computers. Too cool. they only work well in the newer machines — but there is always a good Internet Cafe around with better equipment… and that is the only kind of place you want to use, anyway.

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